NATO Denies Apology: Blames Libya’s Rebels for Getting Bombed

NATO Insists It Had No Idea Rebels Had Tanks

The Deputy Commander for NATO’s war in Libya Rear Admiral Russell Harding has rejected Thursday’s reports by the rebels. The rebels had claimed NATO had apologized for bombing a column of rebel tanks in Ajdabiya.

“I’m not apologizing,” Harding insisted. He also claimed NATO had no idea the Libyan rebels even had tanks. Other officials suggested that the bombing was essentially the rebels’ fault, and that the situation is “confusing.”

This is the exact opposite of the story told by rebel General Yunis, who claimed on Thursday that the rebels had in fact informed NATO about the tank movement, and had that message acknowledged before the attack.

Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that NATO “regrets” the deaths of the rebel forces, but officials were quick to insist this was totally different from an actual apology for the killings. It is the second major “friendly fire” incident since the war began.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.